Which senators voted to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment and what reasons did they give?
Executive summary
The Senate voted 57–43 to convict Donald Trump on the single article of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial, with seven Republican senators joining all Democrats and independents to vote "guilty"—falling ten votes short of the two‑thirds threshold required for conviction [1]. Those seven Republicans cited a mix of legal, ethical and patriotic rationales—breach of oath, incitement, and responsibility for the January 6 attack—while other senators who voted to acquit emphasized constitutional and jurisdictional limits on trying a former president [2] [3] [4].
1. The vote and who broke ranks
On February 13, 2021 the Senate recorded a 57–43 vote to convict Trump of inciting the Capitol riot, marking the largest bipartisan majority ever assembled to convict a president yet still short of the 67 votes required; seven Senate Republicans joined the Democratic and independent caucus in that "guilty" column [1] [2].
2. The seven Republican senators and the reasons they gave
The seven Republicans were Richard Burr (N.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.), and Patrick Toomey (Pa.), each issuing public rationales that emphasized different but overlapping concerns: Burr said his decision was not made lightly and came despite earlier constitutional doubts about trying a former president—he concluded conviction was necessary after weighing the evidence [5]. Cassidy framed his vote bluntly—"Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person"—and said the evidence showed Trump was guilty [3]. Toomey said Trump “betrayed his office by trying to ‘hold on to power despite having legitimately lost’” the election [6]. Romney and others explicitly described Trump’s actions as a betrayal of oath and an abuse of power sufficient to meet the standard for impeachment [7]. Collins delivered a floor explanation for her guilty vote after the acquittal and cited the evidence presented, while Murkowski, Sasse and others similarly pointed to Trump’s rhetoric and the outcome on January 6 as crossing a line even if they had previously raised procedural questions [5] [6] [8].
3. Common themes in the defectors’ statements
Across their statements the defecting Republicans converged on two themes: that Trump bears moral and practical responsibility for provoking the violence and that his refusal to accept election results and his rhetoric endangered the constitutional order; these themes were echoed by Democratic managers and by some Republican critics of Trump after the vote [9] [3].
4. Why most Republicans voted not guilty—constitutional and procedural arguments
Forty‑three Senate Republicans voted to acquit, most arguing the Senate lacked jurisdiction to try a private citizen or that the impeachment process had procedural defects; opponents warned that conviction would set novel precedents constraining political speech or that the House rushed the impeachment without due process, arguments catalogued in senators’ formal explanations and legal commentary [10] [4]. Even Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Trump was “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day” yet voted against conviction because he viewed the trial as unconstitutional after Trump left office [2] [9].
5. Political aftermath and the limits of the vote
The bipartisan 57‑vote majority underscored unusual GOP fractures and delivered public rebukes from some colleagues and state party organizations against the defectors, but without the two‑thirds threshold the Senate could not disqualify Trump from future office or impose additional penalties; the vote therefore registered political and moral condemnation for many senators but produced no institutional sanction [1] [3] [11].